"Sorry Sasuke." - Lazebe.

oOo

"Korra, it's time."

Korra was talking with Tenzin for a short time about what to expect out there while in Tarrlok's task force when, speak of the devil, the tall, pony-tailed councilman walked up to the pair with a pleased smile on his face. Tenzin scowled, knowing that that smile came from the satisfaction he felt from convincing Korra to join his group in their 'fight against the equalists', even after Tenzin had kicked him out of his home once she declined before.

Korra gave Tenzin a look and smiled, saying, "Don't worry about me. I'll be OK."

Tenzin sighed, saying, "I know you will, Korra. Pema will prepare a meal for you in case you get hungry when you come back."

Korra offered an infectious grin that had Tenzin smile in return. Even the look in Tarrlok's eyes softened a bit as he saw the young girl. Even though she was the avatar, she was nothing more than a child. He would use her up until she was useless to him and he'd discard her.

As the wheels in his head began to spin, Tarrlok noticed a figure standing at an angle, his head turned as he looked across the ballroom at the group. He focused his eyes on the man and noticed that he was looking specifically at him. Brushing away a morbid feeling that entered the pit of his stomach, Tarrlok nodded when Korra said she was ready to go. "Off we go, then."

oOo

Naruto had allowed Tarrlok to see him within the crowd. He wanted the man to be able to identify him later when he dealt with him. Having Korra on his taskforce meant that Naruto would have less time to mold her to his liking. Looking inwards, he assessed the situation that was revealed to him earlier and looked on curiously even as Tarrlok's gaze shifted away from him. 'This man… I did not account for his involvement. I wonder what his intentions are with the Avatar. I will have to keep an eye on them later tonight.'

Without looking, he knew that Lin was still watching him from way out in the back, upstairs and behind some pillars. She was discreet, hidden from everyone else in her grey and black suit which camouflaged nicely into the background of the dark second floor. The lights had been turned off even when he and Korra had been up there because the ball was downstairs and the rooms upstairs were for other events and occasions.

Naruto, however, wasn't pleased that she seemed to be watching him so intently. What had given her the idea that he was involved at all was beyond him. He had been invited because his actual name was on several of the larger businesses that he owned, though many more were set up so that he didn't have to be involved at all. They just cut him a part of the check when everything was said and done and adjusted the books well enough that it could be hidden as charities, cost of repairs and other things.

Either way, Naruto spent very little money on himself. Other than his rather humble apartment, considering his wealth, and enough clothes and drinks to get through any situation, Naruto was very frugal with his spending. He was always saving money, always using it only when absolutely necessary. After all, why use your money when you could use someone else's?

Naruto, however, also had other worries. Being the leader of the new Republic City mob, he had to decide how he was going to deal with the anti-bending movement since many of his thugs were benders and damn effective when he put them all in the right place. He didn't need Amon running around, ruining his shit because he had some gripe against benders. Boo-fucking-hoo.

Naruto likened his involvement as the player in a chess game, except instead of envisioning someone like Beifong as his opponent-an idea that he found utterly laughable- he imagined playing against himself.

How would I counter myself? What would I do to get to me and kill or at least incapacitate me? How would I find out what my weaknesses are? What would I do once I found out what those were? Who would be the last person that I would see coming, who could try and get the one-up on me?

If he was being honest with himself, killing Lin Beifong would have probably been the best course of action, because he already had Saikhan in his pocket, though the man didn't even know it was him. By proxy, he blackmailed the man and threatened his family, even going so far as to visit his ex-wife at her home with their son and his two daughters personally.

oOo

(Four months ago)

He tanned, changed his hair color and used makeup with a false nose to be certain that they'd never be able to properly ID him.

He then patrolled the streets until he found a police officer that seemed to be about his same size, then he tailed him for a week before finally moving in at the middle of the night and stealing his police uniform from his room. The man hadn't even noticed and thought that he must have left it at HQ or something.

Afterwards, he waited until Saikhan met up with his children during the weekend and followed them home when their mother came to pick them up. That night, he knocked on her door and told her that Saikhan was being targeted by the head of the mob within Republic City and that he was sent over as a precaution until Saikhan could disperse more assistance to them or come to visit them himself. He insisted that they not make any phone calls because even some of the men and women in law enforcement couldn't be trusted and they were watching his phone while Saikhan went underground to try and find the criminal responsible for the mark on her ex-husband. She seemed wary at first, but after he showed her a fabricated ID using the name Eikichi Onizuka, described the kind of work he did there at HQ, as well as why Saikhan trusted him enough to send him to look after his family, Naruto spent the rest of the night watching over his wife, his son and his two daughters. In the middle of the night, with gloved hands and a sharp knife, he cut a lock of hair from each of Saikhan's family members as they slept. Standing in the room of Saikhan's eldest daughter, an idea came to mind that he was sure would scare the old man into submission.

The next day, Saikhan got a call from his ex-wife asking if he was OK, saying that the police officer he had sent over was already gone and had left a note saying that they had captured the man responsible for the threat. While listening to the mother of his children and asking her what the hell she was talking about, Saikhan noticed a small package on his desk and wondered where it had come from. It read, "You can trust me" on the front. He opened it as his wife talked about how charming the young man was and how even their eldest daughter had taken a liking to him. They had talked about quite a few things, actually, and the smiling gentlemen had put their minds at ease the entire time.

Saikhan shook his head as he opened the small box that was barely bigger than his palm, saying, "Dear, I didn't send anyone to watch over you, are you sure you're not talking about a boyfriend of yours or something?"

"Don't call me dear, Saikhan! I thought…!" She gritted her teeth and he could hear her breathing heavily through the phone as she started to hyperventilate, "He said that you were being targeted by some kind of king pin or crime overlord…" suddenly she went quiet for a bit and he could hear her say, probably to their eldest daughter, 'I don't know, darling, check your room again or the laundry. Maybe you forgot to wash them.'

"There's no such thing as a criminal kingpin in Republic City, dear," he explained, "they're all sorted out into gangs called triads that are constantly vying for power. Besides, even if there was, what would such a man want with me?" he asked, incredulously, ignoring the conversation that was taking place in the background. Then, after a few moments, something clicked as he picked up one of the four strange dolls that were sitting in the box, locks of hair tied to their backs in a folded piece of paper by string.

That hair… all different colors except two of them which were red headed… it looked very familiar. "Wait… are you saying that someone actually… that this man went into the house and spent the night there? With my children? And you didn't even know who he was and you just trusted him like that and didn't even try to contact me? What the hell were you thinking?!"

"He told me that your men couldn't be trusted at the station! What was I going to say? He came in dressed as one of your officers and even walked and talked like them. Oh god… oh god… Saikhan, he flirted with your daughter for fucks sake! I thought it was harmless… I… I…"

This was scary. He had thought the woman was just going senile, talking about a handsome young man just to piss him off or something. But she was being serious. And then this gift… there were four string dolls like voodoo dolls, minus all of the pins. Was that a note at the bottom?

"Saikhan! What the hell is going on! You better tell me why there was a stranger in my house last night! You better not be lying to me or playing some kind of screwed up trick because I swear I will have all of your rights to the kids stripped away before the day is up!"

Saikhan picked up the piece of folded paper, noting that there was a soft fabric at the bottom of the box, but he ignored it and opened the folded paper, his eyes widened as he read what was inside.

Don't worry, my friend. You can trust me. Since you're no longer in the picture, I'll be watching over your lovely family for you from now on.

Signed,

Officer Eikichi Onizuka

Saikhan grabbed the garment at the bottom of the box and he immediately let go when he got a better look at it. His eyes widened and his hands shook as he wondered just what kind of message this was.

"Saikhan?" he heard over the phone. "Saikhan!"

"I am coming over right now!"

Click.

Saikhan ran out the door faster than he had ever ran anywhere in his life. What he left behind on the counter was the four dolls with the little locks of hair tied to them and a pair of pink panties with a smiley face painted on the front in red.

oOo

No, killing Beifong was the wrong move right now. She was close to Korra, even if Korra didn't know it yet. The girl would need guidance and she'd rely on this woman in the future. Naruto was certain of it.

Plus, he'd always had a thing for the hot-headed metal bender and women in authority in general. It would be a shame if he killed her without at least trying to get into that little suit of hers. He had no qualms about her age, or the difference between hers and his, of course, that was all superficial, because sexiness was not something that could be readily masked by something arbitrary like age. It was morals in society that dictated the equally arbitrary "age of adulthood" where a person had become an adult. If Naruto allowed himself to toy with the subject, then he would surmise that he must have been raped or molested. After all, he had his first sexual encounter on his thirteenth birthday.

Even though Korra was quite young at seventeen years old and still maturing into a grown woman, she wasn't quite there yet. Unlike Naruto, who had been a child when he had matured into adulthood, and not just because of the sex, Korra was still immature, and that was the very reason why Naruto was so interested in her development.

If he had met her a year later, perhaps, he might have missed out on the chance to catch her in this growing phase and she would have dealt with her first relationship with Mako instead of him, whom Naruto figured would have likely dumped Asami for the Avatar. He hadn't missed the look on Mako's face before he left, while Naruto appeared to be busy exploring Korra's mouth like a dentist who operated only by tongue.

Instead, now he could be the one who took Korra and sculpted the Avatar to his liking. He would influence all of her decisions, all of her traits of character and her goals and aspirations, and then he would consume her, and she would love him for it.

He had to admit that she had a body like no other. It was a body that was carved by her constant training in the martial arts and the movement methods of each of the four bending techniques. It didn't hurt that she was in the pro bending circuit either. He reminisced, and could once again feel her muscle like taut, yet supple chord all along her body as his hands roamed her back and her sides, her thighs, and then there was that firm buttocks of hers. He hadn't been quite sure, when he groped her, if her flesh melted away at his touch or if it was his hand that was melting when he touched her.

Whatever the case, he enjoyed that body of hers, and he looked forward to seeing her again because of it, if not for any other reason.

Seeing his chance for a clean escape as the Avatar left the building, Naruto snuck out by using the crowd and left Beifong unable to follow.

Noticing he had managed to squeeze through and that she wouldn't be able to get through the crowd quick enough, Lin used her metal bending to whisk her out of a window by shooting her cable upwards toward the roof where she had it form into a grappling hook. She jumped out of the window and ran along the wall before jumping outward and reforming the hook so she could turn a corner to wrap back around the front of the building and catch the blond by surprise.

However, when she stood up on the roof of the ballroom, she saw not a lick of orange anywhere. "This isn't possible. He wears such bright colors… it should be impossible for me not to spot him now among the crowd… wait, unless he's not in the crowd anymore! Ugh!" Beifong moved to scout around the rest of the building, hoping to find him before he could get too far.

Naruto, however, smirked as he still stood inside of the building, waiting for his cab to come up close before he left, never spotted again that night by the chief of police.

"Hello sir," his driver said, jogging up to him with a large coat in her arms, a dark purple scarf around her neck and a flat cap in one hand. She immediately placed the hat on his head, adjusting it only slightly until he wore it at a slight angle, before stepping behind him and lifting the leather coat over his shoulders, which he wore draped over his person rather than slipping his arms through the long sleeves. Sakura then walked back around him again and wrapped the scarf around his neck, adjusting it and folding it just right so that it resembled the fitting style of the one which Mako wore to the party.

When they walked together, back to the car, Beifong was standing in the front of the building, searching the crowd for any sign of him or someone she could recognize that was associated with him. Naruto smiled as Sakura opened the door to his car for him, then went to sit in the driver's seat. She turned her head to glance back at him, looking a little flustered. "Good to see you again!"

Naruto smiled softly at the pink-haired girl. "Thank you, Sakura. Same to you. By the rosy pink on your face, I take it your date with Sasuke went well? Or is that for me?"

Blushing, she said, "Oh, well, yes it went very well." Sakura shuddered when she remembered the night in bed with the ravenous young man. "He treated me like I've always wanted to be treated."

Naruto saw the look on her face and said, "I'm sure he did. I have some time to kill, why don't we go visit with Master Jiraiya for a short while?"

"Understood," Sakura said, swallowing as she looked into the rearview mirror and saw the predatory look in her boss's eyes. Though she was affected immensely by the look, she had the sneaking suspicion that it was directed at someone else.

oOo

(Lemon Start; Naruto and Sakura's memories)

Naruto found that, though it was nice to feel and to see or even smell and taste a woman's body, it was something entirely different to focus on the sounds that were made during lovemaking. One, in particular, that had always captivated him was the sound of oral sex.

He still felt and reveled in the act as the woman in between his legs pleasured him enthusiastically; however, by intentionally focusing on just listening to what she was doing, he felt like he could understand more intimately just what the act was about.

Sure, she was a hooker and she was paid for her services, but there was obviously some kind of enthusiasm in her actions. He's received a blowjob or two before and knew the difference between a girl who was into it and one who was disgusted or bored by it, having experienced both sides of the spectrum and many of the grey areas in between.

But this woman, she was definitely getting into it. Whether it was because she wanted him to cum faster to get it over with, or because she was attracted or at least familiar with him (as they had done this many times before) or for some other reason, he couldn't and wouldn't pretend to understand.

He found himself enthralled by the sounds that he could hear, sounds that were often drowned out by the gluttonous nature of the act as a whole: such as the slick sound of her lips and her tongue as they squeezed around him and slid up and down; or of her lips smacking together as she pulled away from him suddenly, the clicking of her tongue as she pondered the taste and then the sound of her catching a breath immediately afterward; the scraping sound that he swore he could hear reverberating through his body when she bared her teeth and dragged them from the base of his cock all of the way up to just before his tip, where she exchanged the potentially deadly teeth with her beautiful, full lips which teased his tip erotically as she released a content mewl, stripping from him his pride and causing him to quiver and moan beneath her.

Yes, he was thoroughly teased and had succumbed to the feeling of fear in what he felt was a dangerous game that he was playing with the pink-haired girl. But when she was attending to something as admittedly selfish, on his part, as his demands to cum in her mouth, Naruto couldn't blame her, for she must have derived some sense of power by making him quiver so. So be it that he felt subdued, for the purpose of the act was to derive pleasure from it in the first place, and he wasn't going to let something foolish like pride get in the way of enjoying a moment like this.

His eyes looked down and he saw the Sakura's emerald eyes staring back into his. She had only started working in the brothel a few years ago, though she had lived there for years prior after being birthed by one of the whores who worked there. Poor girl, he thought. She was a symptom of a life in this dreary establishment and had lived her life here in the brothel learning the worst things she could have learned as a young girl, probably never once imagining herself to be anything other than a call girl like her mother was.

Naruto had always chosen her because whenever he had sex with her, he felt like he was making love to Yuu. Aside from the pink hair, Yuu was very much like the usually submissive, albeit spunky young girl that he had met here at the brothel. He imagined the beautiful woman and wondered how things would have worked out if he had been a few years' older-old enough to protect her and make his own decisions in life rather than allow the will of another man to dictate his very existence as a street urchin.

"Sakura," he whispered to her, eyes blinking as if he had just woken from a deep slumber, "That was… it felt so good."

She smiled meekly at him as she kissed him gently on his throbbing head, stroking it near the base with her delicate hand as she said, "You weren't even looking… you had your eyes closed the entire time… were you thinking of someone else?"

Naruto looked into her eyes and he could tell she knew, so he just nodded.

"I see… what was she like? You must have loved her, whoever it is." She smiled as she stood up, brushing her body the entire way against him as if losing contact would mean she'd lose him forever. With the head of his penis, he felt everything from the space between her supple breasts to the tender flesh of her abdomen and the small pit of her belly button as she moved upwards. He could see a glistening trail of pre-cum that was marked by a series of droplets that she was already now starting to absorb into her skin. This woman was incredibly well-versed in her job.

He sighed and looked away, not sure if he should talk about Yuu in that way. "I don't know… I think I got attached to her, but I don't know if I really loved her. I didn't spend a lot of time with her while she was here in the city. Once she left, I… I shouldn't be telling you this…"

Sakura smiled and kissed him on the cheek, whispering into his ear, "Pretend I'm her… Tell her how you really feel."

Naruto swallowed and let out a gasp as she eased herself onto him, taking him into her body and letting out a moan despite herself.

"Naruto… tell me how you really feel about me," she begged, getting into character as she started to move her hips.

"Sakura, I…"

"No!" she stopped, and Naruto winced when her fingernails dug into his shoulders. Her eyes peered into his and he saw the desperation there. What was that look for?

Bearing with it, he whispered her name, "Yuu…" he laughed, with a little heart invested into his voice as he said, "I've always wanted to say, 'I love you, Yuu' because I thought it was sort of funny."

Sakura showed the beginnings of a smile that started with her eyes as she began to move again, taking him into her body and reveling in the feeling of intimacy that she was stemming from his love for this person named Yuu.

"I am sorry. I never wanted to hurt you… to take your future and your virtue away from you… and afterwards, I felt guilty for wanting you-for needing you, and your love.

"I feel lost without you here to tell me what to do. To comfort me when I feel like I can't continue, like when I felt that I've wasted my breath on this life that for so long I've been desperately clinging to for no good reason until I met you."

Sakura barely let out a whimper as she picked up the pace, wrapping her arms around his neck as she tried to catch her breath. "More, please… I want to know why you loved me."

Naruto moaned, his eyes playing tricks on him as he saw Sakura fade away and Yuu taking her place, her beautiful eyes watching him with the same fondness that she always showed him whenever he was around. The only sincere woman in his life. So honest and good that she could endure hell and still love the child that had brought that terrible mess upon her.

And then Naruto cried, and the moment was ruined. He shoved Sakura off of him and fell back onto the bed, moaning in agony as he remembered exactly why he loved the girl so much, and how terrible it felt to try and live her out through this pink-haired woman that he hardly knew.

Sakura looked at him, not quite upset that he had tossed her off of him onto the cold ground from his seat on the edge of the bed. Instead, she admonished herself for taking the fantasy too far. He had feelings that he hadn't come to terms with yet for this girl who left him, even if they had never been together in the first place. She mused at how easily the heart cracked. How one could wallow in sorrow over someone they loved who likely didn't even have the faintest clue as to their friend's feelings.

Sakura crawled back onto the bed and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her chest into his back. When she felt him tense, she held on tight and said, "It's OK! Don't be afraid, I'm Sakura again. I promise I won't do that to you ever again, alright?"

This wasn't the Naruto she knew. The Naruto she had come to know was roguish, charming and had a stout sense of honor and pride. It didn't matter that he was little more than a thief and an apprentice to a lecherous old man, Naruto would look someone dead in the eyes and tell them that he was better than them without a moment's hesitation.

This man… this boy, lying in bed with her, was not the Naruto she knew, but she could tell that he had taken his last mortal breath as the sobbing finally came to an end.

(End Lemon)

oOo

(At Jiraiya's Home)

When Naruto exited the car, Sakura walked alongside him until he reached the door, then she retrieved his coat and hat, and undid his scarf so that she could take his little disguise back into the car. Naruto watched the pink-haired woman as she walked away, knowing she'd wait for him outside and keep an eye out.

"You always did have a soft spot for women, didn't you, Naruto?"

Naruto's head snapped back toward the door and his eyes narrowed. He hated being caught by surprise, and it seemed like Jiraiya was the only man left alive who could do it.

Glaring, Naruto said, "I'm hardly the only one."

"Hah, yeah, but at least I don't go around giving the hookers real jobs. You know she probably just goes back to the brothel after work, right?"

Naruto scoffed and said bitingly, "You confuse me with someone who takes great stock in emotional investments. I can spot quality material when I see it, and Sakura is as such, which is why I utilize her services."

Arching a brow, Jiraiya said, "You really have improved, haven't you? Read a few books, I see?"

"Enough to get by. I'd rather not risk anymore of this conversation out here in the moonlight."

"Yeah, yeah, get your ass in here." Jiraiya said, rolling his eyes as he pushed the door open a little more and said, "You're getting a little too big for your britches, kid."

Naruto ignored him and walked over to the man's bar, pouring himself a glass of gin and turning around to look at the older man as he sipped the strong drink.

"Yeah, just make yourself at home…" Jiraiya grumbled, moving to sit on the large red couch he had in his living room. Jiraiya's home, outside, seemed quaint enough, but on the inside it was entirely different. Naruto always knew that the old toad had a thing for the expensive and the exquisite. Many art pieces were posted on the walls or sitting on podiums or shelves, and he even had a collection of snake skulls sitting above the fireplace, which was the focal point of the entire room. Naruto had stepped up onto a 'gallery' area where he saw many paintings that he had seen the creation of, including one of his own that was hung up on a short wall in between the bar and the kitchen.

Naruto finished his drink and poured himself another, saying, "Would you like a drink?"

"Nah, go ahead and finish my booze though. It's OK."

"Bite me." Naruto offered, walking around the couch to sit across from the old man on the island Ottoman which was a nice, light tan color that went well with the rest of the décor in the room.

Jiraiya frowned and said, "You don't look like yourself. Did you come here to kill me or something?"

Naruto laughed and said, "No, not today old man. I'll give you fair warning when I decide I've had enough of your shit."

Jiraiya nodded, "Fair enough." Then he crossed his arms and legs and sank back into the couch even further, watching as Naruto turned to look into the fire place which Jiraiya had decided to turn on for the night. "So what gives, kid?"

"Everything is going so well for me. I can't see anything that will impede me in the near future, but I don't want to get complacent…"

Jiraiya made a grunt in understanding. He looked at the calm, calculating gaze that Naruto watched the fire with and smirked, saying, "There's more to that, isn't there? Is it a woman?"

Scoffing, Naruto said, "Hardly. I have the Avatar to deal with, but she's going to be more of a pleasure than a burden… plus, who in their lifetime gets to say they've corrupted the Avatar?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened, "You've already…?"

Laughing, Naruto shook his head, "Not just yet, but I will, and I'll make her desire me above all else in this world. I'll make it impossible to break away from me, and in the process I'll watch as her love for me burns all of the people around her and destroys everything she's worked so hard to obtain up until now."

The light of the fire danced on them and the rest of the room. Shadows writhed about like flailing snakes all along the walls and the ceiling as the two men sat in silence for a few moments, Naruto's resolve to destroy the Avatar in the worst ways possible maturing here in this very room.

Jiraiya smirked and said, "I see I've taught you far too well. Now it seems that I will have to kill you."

Naruto tensed and he immediately sought a knife hidden within his yukata as he stared at Jiraiya from the corner of his eye, not daring to move an inch unless the old man acted first. A bead of sweat dripped from his forehead and got caught on his eyebrow before breaking and trailing down towards his eye. For what seemed like a whole minute, the two of them just sat there, frozen in time as Naruto tried to establish whether or not the old man was serious or not.

Then the wood in the fire place cracked under the heat of the fire and Jiraiya guffawed at the young man. He threw his arms up in a placating manner and said, "I'm kidding kid! Damn! Relax, huh? I'm quite proud that you've caught on so well to my teachings over the past couple of years. And what you accomplished in only a year is mind-boggling."

Naruto left the rest of his gin on the ottoman, his eyes slowly turning back towards the fire. Jiraiya smiled and crossed one leg over the lap of the other as he eyed the blond young man curiously. "I heard you killed Viper. I'm grateful to you for that."

Naruto looked at the man and nodded, "Killing him was necessary, but it certainly felt good listening to him scream after what he did to Anko."

Jiraiya remained silent, though a frown appeared on his face.

"You were really attached to her, weren't you?" Naruto asked with a grin on his face.

"She was like a daughter to me… I even stopped having sex with her a couple of years ago because it was starting to feel weird. Told her I couldn't get it up anymore, but she didn't believe me. She was just happy to pose for my artwork or help me with my poetry. And she liked when I brought her presents from outside of the city. That was her favorite thing, really."

Laughing, Naruto asked, "You really told her that? That you couldn't get it up? I thought she was kidding when she told me what you said."

Glaring, Jiraiya said, "I can still scar you for life, you know. Just try me and I'll whip it out right now and show you."

Naruto groaned and said, "You're sick. You're telling me that you can get hard if I'm around? Jeez old man. I always called you a pervert, but to what extent you were, I had no idea."

With a pout, the old man grumbled as he crossed his arms in annoyance, "You're lucky I decided earlier not to kill you today, kid."

"Oh yeah? When was that decision made?"

"When I was taking a shit on the toilet. I was wiping my ass and I thought, 'Shit, he ain't even worth killing yet; let him grow a little first'."

Naruto's jaw clenched and he glared evenly at the old man. "When that day comes, don't hold back."

"You neither, kid."

"You're going to have to stop calling me that soon," Naruto warned, standing up to leave, before he stopped and turned around to walk back toward the bar.

"I'll stop when I feel like… hey, where are you going? No, put that bottle down this instant!"

Naruto flipped him off and walked out of Jiraiya's home with the bottle of gin in hand, sipping straight from the bottle as he walked toward the car. "Later, old man!" he called out as he waved back with his free hand.

Jiraiya growled, "Son of a bitch didn't even have the proper decency to close the door, god damn it…"

Groaning and looking at how far away the door was, Jiraiya muttered fuck it and just shifted his position on the couch.

oOo

"Naruto! Konohamaru has a message for you, sir!" Sakura waved and pushed the young boy toward Naruto as he sauntered over to the car, bottle of booze in his hand.

"Huh? What's up, Konohamaru?"

"I've been keeping an eye out on Avatar Korra like you asked me to the other day. I lost her for a little while, but I found out that she publically challenged Amon to a duel at midnight. It's taking place at Aang Memorial Island."

Groaning, Naruto looked up to the skies and said, "It's around eleven… Sakura, what time is it exactly?"

"Ten fifty-five, sir."

Naruto nodded and turned to look at Konohamaru, "Great job, kid. I have another assignment for you before you get done. Finish this and I'll pay you triple what I normally do."

Konohamaru's eyes widened and the boy nodded, saying, "Sure! Sure, what is it?"

Naruto said, "It's an infiltration mission so it's going to be more expensive anyways, but it's more dangerous because I want you to dig up some dirt on Councilman Tarrlok."

"Tarrlok? Ok, sure. I'll have you something you can use tomorrow morning."

"Good. Here." Naruto reached into his wallet and pulled out a wad of money, which was much more than he currently owed the young man. "In case you need to wet a few beaks near the council. Whatever is left over is yours."

Konohamaru counted it and said, "This is… alright. I understand. Good bye, boss, Miss Sakura!"

And with that, Konohamaru was gone. Naruto smirked and turned to look at Sakura, "I need to get to Aang Memorial Island. This girl doesn't know how Amon operates; he won't be there by himself and I can't risk the possibility that he'd just kill her to buy the Equalist movement some time."

"Should I get you some back up?" she offered, eyeing him curiously.

"No, did you leave all of my equipment in the trunk like I asked you to?"

Eyes widening, she grinned and said, "Yes! I did."

"Oh? You know what I'm planning?" he asked, curious over the enthusiasm in her voice.

"Yes sir! I will help you tonight!"

Naruto laughed and said, "So be it. Let's go check up on this silly girl… ah, but you know what? Let's stop by for some fireworks first."

Sakura arched a brow and said, "Fireworks? OK… I know a place that's not too out of the way. If we hurry we can make it."

They drove off to pick up the fireworks, for whatever reason Naruto had in mind, and then headed toward the docks as quickly as they could.

oOo

"This is spring-loaded," he informed Sakura, holding the large, hand-held cannon in front of her. "You aim it like this," he held it in place using two hands and used his index finger to pull the trigger and asked, "Did you hear that click? That's the locking mechanism that holds the spring in place once you pull back on this puppy like this." He showed her and then released it and gave it to her so she could try. "Once it's loaded, this should be able to shoot those toxic gas grenades right there or smoke bombs. Use the ones you think are necessary."

"I just fire from the boat then? Should I anchor?"

Shaking his head, Naruto said, "It'll take too long. You might have to pick us up quickly, so just do what you can when you're in range. If you see anyone try and attack you, make sure that you get out of here quick. I can take the Avatar and hide away with her in the dark if things get rough. I know some of the nooks and crannies from hiding out here before."

Sakura nodded and said, "I wish I could do more to help."

"Trust me, if you shoot this anywhere near the base of that statue, we'll be fine. I'll use the cover to my advantage and get her out of there before anything can happen. Wait for my signal… you'll see a lot of lights going off wherever I'm at, and that's where you should aim… ah, there's one more thing." He grinned and positioned three large cylindrical packages at an angle and tied the fuses together. "Come here and take a look at this."

Sakura crouched down and he said, "When you see my fireworks display going off, I want you to light this before you start using that projectile launcher. Just turn the boat around and try to stay flush with that dock over there, you see it?" Sakura looked out toward the dock which was furthest away and nodded. "That should be the sweet spot," he said with a wink.

After getting his gear all situated on his person, Naruto grinned and stepped with one leg up on the edge of the boat and watched the shore carefully, saying "Alright, let's get this show on the road! There's a spot right over there, you see it? Drop me off there."

Even from where they pulled up to on the island, they could see that Korra was standing near the clock, her arms crossed over her chest and a serious look on her face. Then the clock struck twelve and she winced at the loud sound of the bells. Naruto hopped out of the boat, further on down the island and watched in the darkness as Sakura pulled away from the shore and get back to her position.

Naruto took out a long toothpick and chewed on the end as he waited. His eyes followed the brunette when he noticed Korra moving. She was muttering something as she walked out in front of the double doors that led into the monument. If I was going to capture her, this would be the time.

Watching carefully, he adjusted the backpack he was wearing and reached into his Yukata to make sure that he had a firm grip on his knife as he started to move.

When Korra was dragged into the base of the monument, Naruto made his move. Time to go!

oOo

With all of the commotion that Korra had caused initially, it wasn't hard for Naruto to sneak into the room as she was blasting away with her firebending. He snuck in and used the shadows to his advantage as he reached into his backpack and started setting up the fireworks, one by one.

"I received your invitation, young Avatar," spoke Amon as he trudged toward her from the shadows, as if to show his annoyance with the little girl who had called him out to meet her long before he intended.

Korra watched in horror as he reached for her face, knowing full and well what he was capable of taking from her. She closed her eyes and tried to look away, but when he took her chin, Korra did the best she could not to let a tear show when he spoke. "Our showdown, while inevitable, is premature. Although it would be the simplest thing for me to take your bending away right now, I won't."

While Amon was busy dealing with his hard on over the sound of his own voice, Naruto gently nudged an Equalist beside him who was further in the back. He didn't seem to want to talk, so Naruto whispered, saying, "Hey, you got a light?"

Mumbling, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cartridge lighter, passing it along to his 'brother' without paying attention to who was actually talking to him.

Shaking his head, Naruto just sighed and opened the lighter, whispering his thanks as he turned on the flame behind the man's back so that it wouldn't reach Amon during his overly dramatic soliloquy.

"You'd only become a martyr. Benders from every nation would rally behind your untimely demise. But I assure you, I have a plan, and I'm saving you for last. Then, you'll get your duel, and I will… destroy you."

Then, just as he was about to strike the Avatar to knock her unconscious, all of his men jumped when they saw one of their own get thrown into the center of the room, yelling back, "Hey, what gives?!" when suddenly everyone in the room, including Amon and Korra, noticed the fuse that had been lit and the vest of firecrackers that he was wearing, for some reason.

"Uh, why are you wearing all of those firecrackers?"

What should have been said was, 'Get those off of you now!' because the man wearing the prank suit didn't even have time to look down and assess the situation when suddenly the lit fuse split and went to different lines within the vest at the same time.

Needless to say, the Equalist started running around in the center of the room, screaming and trying in vain to remove the vest. Each time he grabbed for it, more firecrackers went off that popped in his hands. The chi-blocker's suit was made for movement, with only a little bit of padding in key areas, but the pain he was feeling was coming from the sheer volume of mega-sized firecrackers that left holes even in the armored padding and left him with terrible welts all over his torso that would likely put him in the hospital for the next couple of days.

Amon turned away from the Avatar for a moment, while muttering, "What on earth…"

While they were focused on the firecracker suit hopping around and screaming, and then writhing on the floor in the center of the room, Naruto fired a slew of needles that caught the limbs of each of the chi-blockers that were tying Korra up. When they fell, Amon was about to strike the Avatar when he saw something roll underneath him with a fuse quickly burning up.

Keeping his cool, the Equalist leader jumped out of the way quickly enough to dodge the spinning fireworks that he thought was some kind of explosive device. Amon looked around the room to try and find the source of all of this commotion and yelled, "Find whoever is responsible for this!"

The flashing lights from the fireworks made it hard to see as something had knocked out each of the lights that they had set up around them. Their night-vision lenses worked against them as more and more fireworks started going off around the room, shooting sparks everywhere and making it nearly impossible to see any movement in the chaos of it all. Rockets fired, whistling as they bounced off of the walls of the giant room, some even hitting a chi blocker or two, and firecrackers popped, effectively drowning out the sound of anything else going on in the room as the acrid smell of the explosive powder from the fireworks filled the air.

Amon spun around just in time to dodge a needle to the back of the neck, which would have likely killed if not paralyzed him. How he saw it, even Naruto wasn't quite sure. He struck at the shadow in the darkness and his eyes widened when he saw who the bright blue eyes and blond hair belonged to before Naruto disappeared into a cloud of smoke just as a slew of sparkler fireworks went off nearby. A few moments later, another series of fireworks went off that were called thunderclaps; Naruto had never lit these off in a room before, and could only guess what was going to happen once they went off.

Korra, shocked by the whole ordeal, yelped when she found herself lifted up and carried straight out the front door, her head tucking inward just in time to dodge some sort of object that was flying their way from the ocean. She looked back and saw that a cloud of smoke filled the room just as the thunderclaps went off, their shrieking sounds as they rose sounding like they were bouncing around the room before a loud booming sound like thunder went off again and again in quick succession, leaving anyone who had been unlucky enough to remain in the room disoriented and probably bleeding from the ears. Naruto looked down at the girl in his arms as he ran and realized he was fairly impressed by her situational awareness, even in a chaotic mess like that. That smoke grenade hitting her in the face could have broken her neck if it was going fast enough and she wasn't prepared for it. He ran out toward the shore, using the smoke to cloud his movements even as the equalist party burst out from underneath the monument, with orders to kill the blond.

When they looked up, however, they saw a barrage of bolts flying their way, whistling as the rocket candles were shot out of their canisters by the hundreds.

Korra's eyes sparkled as she looked up at the fireworks, not caring in the least that they were aimed at them. She felt safe in this man's arms, and he obviously knew what he was doing. Naruto, looked at his charge as he ran along the shore line, moving as far away as possible to give Sakura some time to get to them.

"Naruto… it's you? You came to rescue me?" Korra asked, staring up into his eyes as he ran, still carrying her.

"Now's not the time, Korra, just hold on!"

She grabbed on tight and pressed her head against his shoulder as he carried her. She didn't mind being carried. Especially not after what happened. She wasn't all too sure if she could run quickly enough at this point anyways because of the chi-blocking that had left her a little out of it, not to mention Amon's fearsome, dramatic display inside of the monument's entrance to the shrine inside that was dedicated to Aang.

"Sakura!" Naruto yelled over the sound of the remaining rockets that were still firing up from the boat, though these were hitting the monument way above their heads because of how close the boat was to the shore. He heard hasty footsteps in the sand behind him and he jumped up and turned mid-air to block a strike to the back of his head that would have likely killed him. Naruto followed up by spitting out several needles that he had tucked away in his mouth, forcing the Equalist leader to dodge. Korra watched, shocked that he was able to dodge each of the attacks, while Naruto stood there, grinning, as he waited for the very last moment to spit out the last needle that he was saving in his mouth. Amon saw the needle just as he was about to leap forward to catch the swift Naruto Uzumaki.

With a mighty yell, Amon reeled back in pain as the needle pushed through his eye, completely destroying his pupil and the nerve in the back of his eye socket. Naruto turned and jumped into the boat with Korra still in his arms just as Sakura made it to shore beside them. She aimed the launcher directly at the masked man and yelled, "Eat this! Hell yeah!" Amon saw the pink-haired woman level the launcher directly with him and he let out a groan as the smoke grenade pelted him right in the groin.

Naruto's eyes widened as he jumped into the driver's seat after setting Korra down in the back. "Nice freaking shot!" Not missing a beat, Naruto turned the steering wheel and hit the pedal, getting them out of there as quickly as he could, heading over to Air Temple Island since it wasn't too far away and Korra likely had allies there.

Amon looked on with his one good eye, being completely blind in his left one which had the needle buried deep inside; the bastard had used a short needle which would probably be difficult to remove since Amon was sure it was in deep. The masked man stood up, ready to bend the water around the boat to crush it and kill all three of them when he suddenly collapsed back to the ground after the strike he took to the groin.

Oh god, he thought, moaning in pain on the ground as he cupped his nut-sack, there goes that element of fear that I've worked so hard to cultivate…

oOo

On the ride over, Korra watched the blond man as he drove them back to Tenzin's home and her temporary residence. He did not say anything to her on the way there, instead focusing on the drive and keeping an eye out to make sure they wouldn't be in for any surprises. Korra turned to look at Sakura, who smiled sweetly at her and waved, but all Korra could think about was: who is this girl and why is she helping him rescue me?

Korra closed her eyes and just tried to relax as she felt the cool night air chill the water that misted against her skin and her clothes. The sound of the motor drowned out the silence as they drove as fast as was possible to the only location she could feel safe.

oOo

When Korra arrived, she smiled to see that Tenzin was just about to head on after her when he saw the boat making its way to the shore. Naruto helped the brunette off of the boat and shared a few words with Sakura, who nodded to him and left, leaving him on the island in the meantime.

"Isn't that your ride?" Tenzin asked, staring at the blond man warily as he held Korra in a protective manner. Korra watched him, wondering what he had to say about all of this. He was the last person that she expected to save her… though she had to admit that he was also the first choice if she had to pick anyone to get her out of a rough spot like that. But he was a non-bender… and he most certainly wasn't an Equalist. Was he some kind of military or special operations? A police officer? Wasn't metal bending a prerequisite to joining the police force in Republic City?

Naruto grinned and said, "Honestly, I was hoping that you'd be kind enough to give me a ride on one of your sky bison once I made sure that Korra was alright. I've never ridden one before."

Korra and Tenzin shared a look, then gawked at the blond man for a moment before they started to laugh. Tenzin and Korra stepped away to talk for a bit, leaving Naruto there waiting in silence as he ran the psychotic events that had just occurred.

Holy shit… did I just kick Amon's ass?

Naruto gulped. He had a feeling that Amon wasn't going to take this defeat likely… he'd have to have Sakura nearby him again. Who knew she was such a good shot with explosives, fireworks and other projectiles? Damn… that nut shot.

At least they knew Amon was human now; a man at that with a pair of testicles… or maybe only one now that Sakura had gotten through with him.

A few minutes later, Naruto saw the old man walking over to him with a smile on his face. Tenzin's guard was down and he extended his arm to shake Naruto's, saying, "Thank you… she told me what happened. What you did to save her."

"Is she alright?" He asked, a worried tone in his voice as he shook the older man's hand.

Smiling, Tenzin said, "Yes, she's doing OK. A little shook up. She hasn't cried or anything yet, so I think you being there really helped. I have to admit that I am quite impressed with your actions. You aren't a bender, are you?"

Naruto laughed, saying, "I wish! Then I wouldn't have to play so dirty. Did she tell you I shot him in the eye with a needle?"

Eyebrows lifting, Tenzin said, "You injured Amon? That is good news! We can use that injury to our advantage in narrowing down our search for him."

Nodding, Naruto said, "I thought that might be the case too, but he's unlikely to go out in public without his mask on. Plus, they say the reason why he wears it all of the time is because he was disfigured as a young boy. By a firebender apparently. Not sure how true that is. Seems very cliché."

Tenzin nodded with a light smirk at his last comment, "So, she told me your name was Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yes."

"And what do you do, Mr. Uzumaki?"

Naruto shrugged and said, with a lopsided grin, "I own both the pro bending arena and the pro bending franchise here in Republic City. Not too sure if I own the other leagues in other countries, but I have to look over the contract again to make sure."

Tenzin just stared, before saying, "You… own all of it?"

"Yeah. I am an investor, an artist and a philanthropist. I haven't told Korra everything about me yet, so maybe we can do this tomorrow after she gets some rest so I can inform everyone?"

"A breakfast conversation then. Please spend the night here with us and you can tell us all about yourself and how you and Korra are acquainted."

"I really appreciate that… say, do you think you could let me ride with you on one of those sky bisons tomorrow, maybe?" grinning, Naruto looked up at the sky and said, "I've always wanted to know what it's like to fly!"

Smirking, Tenzin nodded and said, "OK, sounds good… and thank you again, Mr. Uzumaki."

"Please call me Naruto… I do know who you are, by the way, councilman. I would be a fool not to."

"Then you may call me Tenzin, Naruto. I will have one of the acolytes escort you to your room in the men's quarters. Please enjoy your stay here tonight."

Naruto offered an easy grin and said, "Will do!"

oOo

Later that night, Naruto heard shifting outside of his window and he rolled out of bed, carefully sticking his pillows under the sheets to make it look like he was really bundled up. When he saw the silhouette of a woman creeping in through his window, he snuck up behind her as she moved toward the bed and pulled away the covers. Catching her off guard, he wrapped an arm around her waist and covered her mouth with his hand, whispering, "Looks like you really were willing to do anything, even give up your life if it meant confronting that monster."

Korra gasped as she felt his body press into hers. Her first reaction was to elbow him and blast him with a wave of fire, but he caught her elbow and maneuvered her so that she couldn't move. She struggled for a moment, but began to calm down when she felt just how close they were as one of his arms held both of hers behind her back and the other wrapped around her front under one of her breasts and up through the middle so that he could keep his hand over her mouth. He whispered into her ear in a tantalizing manner, "Came to pay me a late night visit, Korra?" He ground his hips into hers and she sucked in a breath through her nose, her body freezing as she felt that he was nude.

"I'm going to take my hand off of your mouth, so you better not scream." Naruto pried his fingers, one by one, once she nodded. He began kissing her neck as he led her forward, bumping her knees against the bed and forcing her to crawl onto it, her knees and hips shaking as she noticed just how compromising their situation was at that moment. If Tenzin knew that she was bent over the bed with her ass in the air while this man was standing around naked in the room, she wasn't certain if he'd kill Naruto first before he got around to her or the other way around. Then she thought about what her dad might do… thank the heavens that they were in Republic City, and not in the Southern Water Tribe.

"Naruto… how did you… why did you come to save me?"

Naruto crawled beside her, turning his body as he rested on the bed. He watched her fall onto her side and their gaze locked for a while before she blushed and started to look down. He reached over for her and took her hand into his, squeezing it tight like he did the night before, stopping her just before she got a chance to see what he had to offer down there. "I couldn't let you leave on your own to face Amon like that. I heard about your statement, Korra… you can't do that sort of thing. You must know that giving him time to respond like that only gives him time to set up a trap for you."

Frowning, Korra pressed her face into the bed as she moaned, embarrassed, "I know… it was so stupid, I didn't even try and think things through… I thought if I beat him on my own then I could stop this anti-bending thing once and for all… instead, all I did was risk losing my bending and put you in harm's way… I didn't know you were going to come after me… Is there… some reason why you felt you had to come after me?"

Naruto looked at her and said, "I thought that was obvious, by now?"

Korra stared at him in silence for a minute, her eyes begging him to say it.

Naruto smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in against his nude form and chuckling lightly when he heard her gasp. "I don't ever want to let you go, Korra. Ever."

She stared at him, tears welling up in her eyes before she threw her arms around him, saying, "I was so terrified! I felt so helpless!" She started gasping for air in between sobs, gripping his body like a lifeline as she cried against his chest.

He held her gently, not sure what to do as she just continued to cry. He thought that making Amon look like a fool might help her ego a bit about being caught, but obviously it had not.

He cupped her cheek and smiled softly, using his thumb to wipe away a tear that was dripping down the side of her face. "I saw you while I was preparing our escape… you were so brave. You didn't show one tear, and I could even see your resolve as his stupid monologue went on and on."

"You saw that?" Korra asked, her eyebrows narrowing together in confusion as she looked up at him.

"Yes… I'm sorry, Korra, but I had to make sure everything was ready before I could step in. I have to rely on deceit and dumb luck to fight tougher opponents like him, though I could never take him head on like you were going to…"

She nodded, fine with that answer. Just the fact that he was there was incredible. "Tenzin was right, I was afraid. I've been scared this whole time. I've never felt like this before and…" She pulled away a bit to look into his eyes. She gasped once more to try and get some oxygen into her lungs from all of the crying and said, throwing herself back into his arms, "… and I don't know what to do!"

Naruto nodded and held her there for a while. She was sincere, and he knew that in order to gain her trust he had to comfort her. They sat up against the corner of the wall where the bed was pressed up against and he brought her in close as he held her in between his legs. She didn't take off their clothes, but they kissed there for what seemed like the longest time, until finally Korra felt like she could go. Naruto smiled at her and watched her leave, telling her he'd see her in the morning.

Korra stood in front of the window as the first signs of the rising sun peeked from behind the horizon. She stared at him for a few more moments before crawling out the window, whispering goodbye, and thank you before leaving.

oOo

Author: And that's it for now. I know I said I wouldn't update this, but I had the idea and the need to write it out, so before I knew it, it was done. I hope you enjoyed the lemon in the beginning with Naruto and Sakura.

To be clear, I don't dislike (double negative? Hm…) one pairing or another, but this is a NarutoxKorra centric fic and eventually I will post a lemon with the two of them. The one with Sakura was to help flesh out her character, as well as to give more insight into Naruto's psyche. I think it's safe to say that the little boy that wanted nothing more than to love the girl finally died that day… not because of what he was trying to do, substituting Sakura for Yuu in his head, but due to an accumulation of events, including that one, which finally led to the young boy's 'demise'. After that, drastic change in Naruto can occur.

So, for better or for worse, I won't be posting another lemon with Naruto and Korra on this chapter because I don't want to cheapen it. Naruto's intentions are to make this girl love him, and taking advantage of her while she's in such a highly emotional state is not something that is going to forward his agenda.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed, and if you have the time please leave me a review or join our group on dA :)

P.S.: if you're wondering why I quoted myself and said sorry Sasuke, it's because Naruto is such a dick that he wouldn't even tell Sasuke that he was dating a hooker… Not sure if dating a hooker ever ends well, but I'm guessing no.